From Hate to Love
by sball6
Summary: He used to hate her and now he's in love.  How can you go from hating someone to loving them in so little time?
1. Chapter 1

**He used to hate her but now he's in love with her. How do you go from hating to loving in so little time?**

**Disclaimer: I only own Jennifer. Hope you enjoy! Please review!**

"I want to know how you went from hating her to going out with her." Chris, my best friend and tag team partner asked. To be honest, I wasn't even sure how it happened so fast. "You do hate her, don't you?"

The girl he was referring to happens to be the niece of one Truth Martini. I had met her years before when Truth was helping train me and the sweetest girl I had ever met. But after a while she stopped being so nice and even started being mean. She became a whole new person in less than a week.

"How long have you two been seeing each other?" Chris was still yelling at me and rightfully so. I hadn't told him that Jenifer and I had been seeing each other for the last 3 months. It wasn't entirely my fault. Chris had been in his own world with his girlfriend and wrestling while I was stuck in Detroit for the past 5 months with an injury.

"3 months…"

"Are you shitting me?" Chris yelled. I'm not sure if it was a question or an exclamation. Plus I never really understood that phrase.

"No, I am not shitting you Chris." I said emphasizing the word 'shitting'. "Jennifer and I have been together for about 3 months now."

"Why didn't you tell me? I found out about it from Truth!"

"You never asked me about my love life and I guess it never just came up."

"The fact that you are seeing anyone I figured would be a conversation we would have."

"I'm sorry…it isn't a big deal."

"What happened? I thought you hated her?"

"Well apparently things have changed. Maybe she isn't as bad as you think. Maybe you need to hear her side to the story." Now I was starting to get mad. "Why can't you just be happy for me?"

"Maybe because she's a bitch, Alex!"

"You don't know her Chris!" Now we were both yelling trying to get our points across. "If you just…"

"No way man! I'm not hanging out with her!"

"Why?'

"I know what she has said about Jamie and what's she done to you. She's not a nice person. What does she have on you? Just tell me what she's blackmailing you with and we'll get her to stop." I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up and started towards the door. "Where are you going Shelley?"

"This is why I never told you Chris. You don't even know her and you won't give her a chance." Chris was completely wrong about Jenifer and if he wasn't going to give her a chance, they didn't need to hang out. I grabbed my cell phone as I climbed into my car. I dialed the number I had called almost every day for the last 3 months.

"Hello…" the groggy voice on the other side made smile every time.

"Did I wake you up?" I felt a little bad, but I really needed to talk to someone.

"Yea, I fell asleep watching TV, but don't worry about it. I'm up now." The sleepiness was coming out of her voice and I wished I had been there sleeping with her. "Lex? You okay?"

"Yea, I was just wondering if we could talk."

"Of course we can talk. I am always willing to talk with you."

"Do you mind if I come over?"

"Not at all, but are you sure you wanna drive the half hour here?"

"Yea, I just really want to see and talk to you."

"Just come one up when you get here. Drive safe."

"I will. See you soon." I hung up the phone as I pulled onto the highway.

**4 months earlier**

**"Shelley! How's the shoulder feeling?" I had just walked into the House of Truth Wrestling School gym when my long-time friend and trainer saw me. **

**"It's coming along. How are you doing Truth?"**

**"Good…can't wait till you can get back in the ring. I'm in need of some competition."**

**"You'll get some good competition as soon as I can get clearance from the doctors."**

**"So anything else new?"**

**"Um, Melanie broke up with me after we lost the tag belts."**

**"Because you lost them?"**

**"Yea, she said she couldn't go out or be seen with a loser." I chuckled remembering the conversation we had the night after Genesis. I was fine with the break-up. **

**"Sorry to hear that…"**

**"Don't worry about it. She wasn't the right one anyway." I paused when I saw a girl walk into the gym. "What the hell is she doing here?" Truth turned to see who had just walked in. **

**"Not quite sure what she's doing here." Before I could say anything else she was walking towards us. "Jenifer? What are you doing here? I thought we agreed that you wouldn't…"**

**"I just had to drop this check off. My mom said you needed it and apparently it is more important than how I felt today. I told her you didn't want me here, but she wouldn't listen. Would you want to argue with her?" I couldn't help, but notice the expression on Truth's face had changed since she, Jenifer, had walked over. It wasn't the hard exterior as when she walked in, but more of an understanding and sincere expression.**

**"I'm sorry…"**

**"Stop! I don't want your apologies!" The yell from her baffled me. I turned to look at Truth again. I figured the blowout would have pissed him off again, but he still looked like he understood something I didn't. "Just take the money…" she threw the envelope at him. "I have to go." With that she stormed out of the gym. I saw Truth's eyes welling as the door slammed shut.**

**"You okay?" I asked as he walked back to his office.**

**"I'll be fine. I just need to gather my thoughts." He shut the door and I decided to give Jenifer a piece of my mind. She didn't always need to be a bitch to everyone. I ran out the back door and nearly tripped over a body on the ground. I looked down and noticed it was Jenifer.**

**"Jenifer?" I knelt down and shook her gently, but she didn't even flinch. I leaned closer when I wasn't sure if she was even breathing. I felt relief when I realized she was breathing, but she still wasn't responding. I grabbed my phone and dialed 9-1-1.**

_**"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"**_

**"I'm at House of Truth Wrestling School and there is a girl passed out in the parking lot. She isn't a wrestler, so not sure why she passed out."**

_**"Is she breathing?"**_

**"Barely, but yes."**

_**"We are sending an ambulance over now. Would you like to stay on the line?"**_

**"No, I can't."**

_**"Sir…" **_**I heard the operator start to persuade me otherwise, but I wasn't staying. I had to call Truth. **

**I had barely hung up with him when he ran out of the building. We could hear the ambulance coming down the street less than a minute later.**

**"What happened Alex?" Truth asked as he knelt down beside his niece. **

**"I don't know. When I walked out I found her there. She wasn't moving or anything." The EMTs had walked up and were tending to her. Truth had gotten up off the ground and was standing quietly next to me. **

**"Does she have any health issues at all?" I looked at Truth. **

**"Yes, she's been battling cancer for the past year."**

**"Has she been doing any chemo or radiation?"**

**"Um, she did it once but now they are trying some herb remedy or something." I was in shock. I had no idea that she was going through this. I watched as they put her into the ambulance. Truth wanted to go in the ambulance, but he wasn't immediate family.**

**"I'll drive Truth." He nodded as we walked to the car and watched the ambulance drive off. The drive to the hospital was silent, but my mind had a million questions bouncing around.**

**When we got to the hospital I followed Truth as he ran down the hallway. The answer to see Jenifer was the same every time he asked. He wasn't immediate family so he would have to wait until they made sure she was stable. When he got back from calling her family I decided to find out more details.**

**"When did she find out about the cancer?"**

**"Trying to figure that out is not an exact science."**

**"What do you mean?"**

**"She's known for real about a year, but she has had suspicions for almost 2."**

**"Why didn't she go in then?"**

**"She was going to, but her parents had just gone through a divorce and she couldn't afford the check-up."**

**"That's horrible!" **

**"Yea and her parents, more her mom, wouldn't help at all. That is why she started working for me. She needed to save up enough money for everything. When we found out she had cancer and chemo was a good choice I gave her some money. Apparently her mom found out and made her work enough to pay me back. That is what the check was for." I still couldn't believe everything I was hearing.**

**"She said and did all those things and you still gave her money?" I saw Truth's eyes grow darker.**

**"Can I be honest with her?"**

**"Of course you can."**

**"I don't think she's the one that actually did all those things."**

**"What do you mean? Jamie heard her say all those things." I wasn't about to mention what she did to me.**

**"Do you know Jen has a twin sister, identical twin sister?"**

**"She does?"**

**"Yea, she is about 2 minutes older. My sister and her husband thought they could never conceive and then they found out they were having 2 at one time. They were ecstatic about the possibility of a boy and a girl, but God obviously had other plans. My sister kinda rejected the idea of having 2 girls and when Jen came out she more or less rejected her. She wouldn't hold or feed or even talk to Jen for almost a month."**

**"Are you kidding?"**

**"Sadly I am not kidding. I was staying at their house and I usually got up with Jen, fed her, changed her…I did everything for that little girl."**

**"That is horrible."**

**"Yea, well after the first month the doctors diagnosed my sister with bi-polar disorder. She got on some medication, but she has never been very good at sticking with the medication."**

**"So does that mean you think it was her sister?"**

**"Jen and I have always been close and she has always been the sweetest girl. I just can't see her saying any of those things."**

**"Then why have you been so mad at her?"**

**"I truly thought it was her, but lately I have been hearing more things and it sounds exactly like CarrieAnn." Before I could say anything Truth's phone rang. "Jen's mom…" he said getting up and answering the phone call. I knew there was more to the story and hopefully he would tell me. I looked over when I heard a commotion from the other end of the waiting room. I ran over when I saw a stack of magazines go flying. **

**"What's wrong?" I asked as I reached down to pick up the magazines. Truth had slid down the wall and I could tell he was crying. **

**"She doesn't even care that her daughter is in the hospital. She is in Chicago with CarrieAnn and says they can't miss the runway show tonight. They might be back tomorrow. She isn't sure though."**

**"What about her dad?"**

**"He's on his honeymoon in Africa. I can't get a hold of him until tomorrow evening."**

**"Will he come back for her?"**

**"Yea, but he doesn't have money to help her."**

**"You just said he was in Africa on his honeymoon."**

**"Yea, he and his wife are down in Africa doing charity work with a church group they belong to." Now I understood a little better.**

**"Do you have a picture of Jen's sister?" Truth nodded and grabbed his wallet. He pulled out a picture and handed it to me. I looked at the picture and realized we had all been wrong. "It wasn't Jenifer after all. Her sister had set her up." **

**"How do you know?"**

**"Looking at the two of them side by side there is a huge difference and CarrieAnn is definitely the one." I said pointing at the picture of CarrieAnn. Truth put his head in his hands. **

**"That is what I was afraid. I don't know if she'll ever forgive me."**

**"Excuse me…" We looked up when we heard the doctor. "You're here for Jenifer Lewis?" Truth stood up and shook the doctor's hand.**

**"Yea, I'm her uncle."**

**"I have some bad news. Her cancer has gotten a little worse. It has moved into Stage IV. We have to remove her kidney. Only one kidney has the cancer, but the other one isn't very strong. We are transferring her to a facility where she can stay until we find a kidney. It will also help because of the 24 weeks of chemotherapy and radiation."**

**"Will she be cancer free after that?"**

**"She needs to stick with the chemotherapy and radiation this time."**

**"Can I see her?"**

**"Yes, but please don't stay long." We followed the doctor down the hallway before he stopped outside the room.**

**"I'll wait out here Truth."**

The memory faded as I pulled into a parking space in front of Jenifer's building. I shut the car off and reached into the backseat until I found the stuffed elephant I had found at the store the other day. I walked inside the building and was greeted by the familiar sterile smell.

"Mr. Shelley, it's nice to see you."

"Hi Mrs. Morgan. How was your vacation?"

"It was good, but I'm happy to be back. I just got done talking to Jen. She's excited to see you."

"Good, I'm excited to see her as well. I'll talk to you later." I smiled at the older woman as I made my way to the stairs. I got nervous every time I saw Jenifer's door and this time was no exception. The girl made me lose all sensibility and reason, but she made me a better man. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Again I only own Jennifer. This chapter is a lot shorter, but I'll get the last 2 posted soon. Enjoy!**

I walked into the room and a fresh scent of vanilla and lilies filled the air. I looked over to see Jenifer sitting up in bed with a package on her lap and a smile on her face. I barely noticed all the machines and tubes connected to her anymore…barely.

"Hey beautiful. How are you feeling today?" I felt the nerves come as the question passed my lips. I asked every day and the nerves always hit me.

"I'm doing a little better than yesterday. I went outside today, but only for a half hour." She paused briefly before holding out the bag. "I know it's a little late, but I finally finished your birthday present." I smiled as I took the bag. She looked so happy that I forgot what had happened with Chris earlier in the evening. Before I opened it I set the elephant on her lap and kissed her forehead.

"I missed you." She giggled as she looked over the stuffed elephant.

"I missed you too, but you just saw me yesterday." She paused and set the elephant down. "I love it Alex. Thank you." She moved over to let me sit on the bed. I noticed she looked a little pale as I sat down, but she had gone outside for the first time in over a week. "Open it Alex!" She said as I sat there staring at her. I opened the bag and pulled out a car and a wrapped present. I read the card and felt tears sliding down my cheek.

"I love you too Jen." I gave her a hug as I tried to dry my eyes.

"Don't cry Alex. That isn't why I wrote it."

"Just because you don't mean to, it does hit me like a ton of bricks." She smiled and I felt myself fall deeper in love. "Where'd you get the paper?"

"My dad bought it for me. He dropped it off today when he visited before he had to leave on business." I was glad her dad had been so supportive over the past 4 months. I had still only seen her mom and sister once and that was over 3 months earlier. "Just open it Lex." I smiled as I tore the zombie wrapping paper.

"Just what I wanted." I said sarcastically when I saw the pink box.

"I can still keep it Alex. You haven't opened it yet." The smile grew as she couldn't keep a straight face. She was always a terrible liar. I opened the box and pulled out 2 different picture frames. The first was a charcoal of the 2 of us sitting outside during our 2-month anniversary. I felt the tears coming, but held them back as I flipped the other frame over. The picture was a drawn copy of an image from the night Chris and I had won the tag-team championships.

"Where did you get this picture?"

"I took it at Victory Road last year when you guys won. I know you and Chris weren't fans of mine, but I have always thought you two were a pair of the best wrestlers in TNA." The thoughts of my conversation with Chris came flooding back into my mind.

"Thank you Jen. These are amazing!"

"What's wrong Alex?" She paused. I could tell she was holding back a yawn.

"Maybe you should…"

"I'm fine. You say you like the pictures, but your eyes tell a different story. What's up?"

"Chris and I got in an argument today."

"About?" She asked the question, but I knew she knew what I was going to say.

"Truth told him we've been seeing each other. He was pissed. I tried explaining everything. I tried getting him to come, but he refused. He just won't listen. He said that you were blackmailing me. How can I be friends with someone that won't give my girlfriend a chance?"

"You've been friends for 10 years. Don't throw it away because of me Alex. Until he knows the truth he'll never forgive me."

"But it wasn't even you. It was your sister. He has no reason to be mad at you."

"I don't want to be the reason you and Chris stop talking."

"I'm not picking him over you."

"Alex…"

"No way Jen. I have a plan to get him to listen to me. I just need your permission."

"Permission for what?"

"I want him and Jamie to come here tomorrow. Maybe we can get them to listen."

"You can bring them, but don't be mad if they don't listen. They think I said and did some horrible things."

"I know, but I think this will help. Now you need to get some sleep. You look worn out."

"I am pretty tired. Are you staying?"

"If you want me too."

"Yea, I want you to stay." I smiled as I slid off my shoes. When I laid back on the bed Jenifer rested her head on my chest and I felt everything would turn out perfect.


	3. Chapter 3

**Will Chris and Jamie finally listen to Alex? Will Alex be able to save his friendship ?**

**Disclaimer: I own only Jennifer.**

The Next Day

I walked up the front steps of Chris' house. I had taken the steps many times over the last 10 years, but this time was probably the hardest. I knew Jamie had flown in that morning and I needed both of them to come if they were ever going to believe that Jenifer didn't say or do any of those things. I knocked twice before I heard voices by the door.

"Alex…" Chris said as he opened the door. I could tell he was still upset, but so was I.

"Come to lunch with me."

"Jamie's here."

"I know. Will you both come with me? Please?" I saw Chris look towards the living room.

"Okay, we'll come." I smiled as my best friend and his girlfriend walked out to my car.

"Where are we going?" Jamie asked after about 10 minutes of the drive.

"There is this cancer center that a friend of mine is living at and I promised I'd eat there today."

"What is this?" Chris said grabbing the picture that Jen had drawn for me.

"My friend drew it. She's a fan of ours."

"I didn't know you had a friend with cancer Alex."

"I just found out a little while ago Jamie. Did I mention she's a fan of ours?" I asked as I pulled into the same parking space as I had the night before.

"Yea, you might have mentioned it. What's her name?" Chris asked as we got out of the car.

"Mrs. Morgan, you're still here?" I avoided the question thanks to the nurse.

"Yes Mr. Shelley, I am just leaving actually. Weren't you just here this morning?"

"Yea, but I brought some friends for lunch."

"Oh, she'll like that." I waved good-bye to Mrs. Morgan as we made our way into the building. Chris and Jamie were quiet as we walked to the elevator.

"How's your knee?"

"It's slowly getting better. Hoping I won't be out as long as the doctor said."

"Me too…I miss tagging with you."

"Alex, about last night…" I put my hand up to stop him. I really didn't need to get in a fight before we even got to the room. "No man, I'm serious here. I'm sorry for how I talked to you yesterday. But after everything that she did to you and said about you and Jamie, how can you even look at her?"

"Maybe there's more to the story than you realize."

"She called me a slut and a whore to my face Alex and I had never even met her." Jamie was already getting angry at the mention of Jenifer. "I wanted to kick the shit out of her." I stopped in front of the door and looked back at my friends.

"Look, my friend here has been through a hell of a lot the past few months. I would appreciate it if we could keep the yelling and arguing to a minimum."

"Okay…" they both agreed as I turned to knock on the door. I listened closely for the familiar 'come in', but all I heard was coughing. I opened the door a little and poked my head in.

"Are you all right?" She nodded as another cough passed her lips. She motioned for us to come in, so I pushed the door open further and walked in by her. I handed her a glass of water as the coughing subsided.

"Thanks," she whispered as Chris and Jamie entered the room.

"What the hell?" I took a deep breath and looked at the surprised faces of both Chris and Jamie. Sadly the surprised looks didn't even begin to mask the anger in their eyes.

"You didn't tell them you were bringing them here to see me?"

"No, he didn't tell us who we were coming to see. If we knew that it was you, we would NOT have come."

"Well, no one said Alex was stupid." She smiled at the comment, but neither of them were in the mood for jokes. I could tell she was looking for the right words. "I know why you hate me and if I were you I would feel the same way."

"You mean you would hope you die and that no one would care?"

"Jamie!" I couldn't believe she said that to someone trying to battle cancer. I couldn't believe she had actually said it at all.

"It's okay Alex." Jenifer said squeezing my hand.

"No, it's not all right Jen! They don't even care that you are trying to beat cancer and that you weren't the one to say or do any of those things!"

"What are you talking about Alex? We were standing right in front of her." Chris said standing next to his girlfriend. Before I could say anything to defend Jenifer, her cough came back. But this time it was far worse than I had ever heard.

"Jen? You okay?" I hadn't noticed when we walked in, but she was much paler than the night before. She tried nodding, but came up coughing again. I reached over and handed her the glass of water, but when she reached out to take it I saw red. Chris and Jamie must have seen the same thing because Jamie was out the door looking for a nurse. I sat down on the bed and wiped her tears away. "Everything's gonna be okay Jen. I promise."

"Don't let me ruin your friendship with Chris. I'm not…"

"Please don't finish that sentence. You are important to me. I know you didn't do anything or would never say any of the things they think you did. Just…" I paused when she lay back on the bed and closed her eyes.

"I'm tired Alex. I'm tired of everything." I grabbed her hand and it was ice cold.

"Don't give up Jen. Please…I need you!"

"Work it out with Chris; even if it means I lose you it will be best. You aren't yourself without him." The doctors flew into the room a second later followed by Jamie.

"We have to get her to the hospital." I watched helplessly as they wheeled her out of the room and into a waiting ambulance. I fumbled around for my car key before Jamie grabbed my hand and took them.

"C'mon, I'll drive you to the hospital." I wasn't happy with either Chris or Jamie, but I was in no shape to drive myself. The car ride was quiet, but I didn't care at all. My mind was on the ambulance in front of us.

As soon as the car was parked I jumped out and raced to the waiting room. When I couldn't get any information I felt myself breaking down.

"Hey man, want me to call Truth?"

"You don't even fucking care Chris! Why the hell would I want you to do anything for Jen? Your girlfriend told her to die and no one would care." I paused as I reached for my phone. "Sadly her mom and twin sister really don't care what happens to her one way or the other." I turned around and dialed Truth's number. I couldn't' believe how hard it was for the words to actually leave my lips. I could hear Truth fighting back the tears. After I hung up I saw Chris and Jamie sitting on the other side of the waiting room. I couldn't sit down. I knew my mind wouldn't let me sit still, so I paced the waiting room. Every time I saw a doctor walk out to the waiting room, my heart stopped, but every time they went to a different family. I wasn't even sure how long we had been there when I saw Truth enter the waiting room.

"Alex!" He yelled my name as he made his way over. "Any news?"

"No, they are still in there with her. The doctors haven't even been out here yet." I paused. My head was spinning from everything that had happened that day, but I had to fight it off. "Did you call her dad?"

"Yea, but he is on his way to China for a month and won't be able to get our message until tomorrow."

"What about her mom?"

"I called her on the way over…"

"Alex," we turned around to see Jen's doctor from the cancer facility walking over.

"Dr. Webb, how is she?" As soon as Truth asked the doctor's face dropped. We both knew the news wasn't going to be good.

"Apparently the cancer has spread to Jennifer's liver."

"What's that mean?" I asked quickly.

"She not only needs a new kidney, but she is also in need of a new liver."

"The kidney was supposed to be here tomorrow. Will she be okay with the new kidney?"

"We aren't doing the surgery tomorrow. She is too weak and we are afraid that without the liver being stronger she won't make it through the surgery or recovering that is needed." With those words my head started spinning again, but 2 times faster.

"Sit down Alex." I couldn't help but listen to Jamie.

"How long can she go with the liver and kidney she has?" I didn't mean to ask the question, but it just came out.

"I would give her a month. I'm sorry. I wish I had better news for you. We will do everything in our power to keep her comfortable."

"Can we go in by her?"

"Yes, but only one at a time." I nodded towards Truth. I wasn't quite ready to go see her. Truth followed the doctor as Chris sat down next to me.

"I know I am probably one of the last people you want to hear this from, but I'm really sorry Alex."

"I am too Alex. I NEVER should have said that to Jennifer." I looked up and noticed the sincerity in their eyes.

"It's over. I don't care about anything but Jen."

"Can I ask you a question? Chris asked. I nodded and he continued.

"Did you say that Jennifer has a twin sister?"

"Yea, she actually has an identical twin sister. The only way to tell them apart is the scar on CarrieAnn's left eye…oh and her ever so evil demeanor."

"It was her sister?" Jamie asked.

"What?" Chris was clearly confused.

"The scar…I thought it was strange how one day she was sweet and nice with no scar and the next day she was a bitch with a scar."

"Yea, Jen was sick for a few days but CarrieAnn came in and ruined everything for her. Even Truth didn't realize it was the wrong niece."

"Oh wow…" neither Chris nor Jamie knew what else to say. And I wasn't in the mood to try and explain the story to them at that moment. "I'm sorry Alex. I should have listened to you earlier, but I didn't want you to get hurt."

"I know, but that's not important to me right now. I just need Jen to be okay." Truth came out a few minutes later.

"She's in ICU room 6." I nodded as I stood up. I walked slowly hoping she would be all better by the time I made it to the room.

"Jen?" I poked my head into the room. This time there was no smile on her face and I couldn't help but notice the tubes and machines all around her. I walked in and sat in the chair next to the bed. I took her head and squeezed gently. "Hey there beautiful, so Chris and Jamie know the truth about most everything now." The tears started falling and I couldn't help them. "I really need you to fight through this Jen. I can't lose you." I looked over at the sound of a knock. Chris was standing in the doorway. I motioned for him to come in. He pulled a chair over and sat down.

"I want to know everything."

"Everything?"

"I want to know how you got to loving her." I took a deep breath and started telling him about the day I found out about her cancer.

**4 months earlier at the hospital**

**I wasn't sure how long I had been outside the room when Truth came out.**

**She wants to talk to you."**

**"Me? I didn't know what she had to say to me, but I walked in anyway. "Hey," I said trying not to stare at all the machines.**

**"Hi…" she paused. "Thanks for everything."**

**"It was nothing." I said still not quite sure what to say to her. I wasn't sure how I felt or if I really even knew the truth.**

**"Uncle Truth told me that he mentioned I had a twin sister. I should have told you earlier Alex. I really like you, there is no way I would have ever called you a freak or a loser." She was not lying. I could see it in her eyes. They were always sweet and kind except for the day I thought she broke my heart. "I would never use you like that Alex. I'm sorry CarrieAnn did that to you."**

**"You don't have to apologize for what your sister did. She was jealous."**

**"She has never been jealous of me Alex. Have you seen her?" She looked down as if she already knew the answer. "You don't have to answer that. I know you've seen her."**

**"Wait a minute. What do you mean by see her?"**

**"You know what I mean. She told me that you two had sex and then she told you she was with someone else but they wouldn't give her any so she used you."**

**"We never had sex. I thought she was you and we…" he said pointing to the two of them. "We had talked about how you were waiting until you were completely ready. And she just kept throwing herself at me until I finally said no."**

**"So you didn't have sex with my sister?" I shook my head.**

**"I didn't even know…"**

**"I'm sorry I was such a bitch to you."**

**"Don't worry about it Jennifer. I wasn't very nice to you either."**

**"I would never have said any of those things about Chris and Jamie…or wrestling in general. I love wrestling."**

**"How about we start all over?" The smile on her face reached all the way to her eyes.**

**"Sounds perfect." She sat up a little straighter in the bed and extended her hand to me. "My name is Jennifer Lewis…Jen for short."**

**"I'm Alex. So do you like wrestling?"**

"So we talked for about an hour and I went back the next day after her surgery. I told her all about myself and she explained her life story." I couldn't help but stare at her as I retold the story to Chris. I put my head on the bed.

"She'll be okay Alex. Just have a little faith." Chris said as he put his hand on my shoulder.

"Yea, I've been praying for the past 4 months." I paused and Chris took it as his cue to leave the room.

"I'll leave you alone, but remember if you need anything Jamie and I are out there for you."

"Thanks man," he walked out leaving Jen and I alone. I turned back to Jennifer and kissed her hand. "I need you to come through this. I want Chris and Jamie to get to know the real you." I paused and reached into my pocket. "I know this isn't exactly the right time, but I am so in love with you and if I don't say it now I may never get the chance. I want to be with you forever…even if forever is only for a short time." I looked down when I felt a gentle squeeze on my hand.

"Lex…"

"Shh…don't use any extra energy. I have a question for you. Will you marry me?"

"Alex…I don't want you to make a rash decision. This is a big deal for me…and for you."

"I know it is. That is why I am asking you. I don't want to go another day without knowing you will be mine forever." I opened my hand to show her what I was holding. "It was my grandma's engagement ring. She gave it to me the other day. My grandparents have been married for 63 years."

"It's beautiful Alex, but what if…"

"Please don't talk like that. You need to have faith."

"I've known for 2 months that I needed a new liver. I also know that they are giving me a month to live." I felt the tears brimming.

"I've been praying every day since I met you that you would be okay."

"You have?" She sounded surprised.

"Yea, I have prayed every day for the past 4 months. Now you need to help me out and fight for this…for us."

"Alex…"

"Just promise." She smiled weakly.

"I promise I will fight for us…for you." I smiled as I placed the ring on her finger and kissed her softly.


	4. Chapter 4

**A month after the last trip to the hospital. How is Alex doing?**

1 month later

"Alex? What are you doing here?" Mrs. Morgan stopped me as I walked into the cancer facility for the 1st time since Jen had been taken to the hospital. "Jennifer isn't here."

"Yea, I know. When you guys packed all her things, I noticed some items were missing."

"Okay, you can go look through the room. My best bet would be that they got shoved under the bed."

"Thanks Mrs. Morgan."

"Everything going okay for you?"

"Yea, getting better every day."

"I miss her. I miss talking to her." I nodded.

"She's an easy one to miss."

"Yea, no matter how she was feeling she could brighten my day." She paused. "I'm sorry Alex. You probably want to get out of here as quickly as possible."

"Thank you for everything Mrs. Morgan." I hugged the woman and headed for Jennifer's old room. I searched the entire room and found a few different pencils and charcoals, but it wasn't until I looked under the bed to find a shoebox with my name on it. I opened it slowly and found it was full of letters. The first 2 letters I pulled out were addressed to Chris and Jamie, but every other letter was addressed to me. Each envelope had a date and number written on it. There were 70 in all. I found the first one and opened it. It was written on February 7th, a few days after she was taken to the hospital the first time. I unfolded the letter and found the familiar handwriting intoxicating. Tears flooded my eyes as I began reading.

_"Dear Alex,_

_I just want to thank you for taking the time to listen to my apology. It means a lot that you've taken the time to get to know me again. Sometimes it gets kinda lonely. I owe you a lot. I hope we can spend more time together. _

_Sincerely,_

_Jennifer Lewis"_

I dug through and found one written a month and a half later. It was letter number 36. I wasn't sure if I should actually be reading the letters. Jen hadn't given them to me or even told me about them, but they were addressed to me. I tore open the second envelope and pulled out the letter. This one had a small drawing in the right hand corner.

_"Dearest Alex,_

_I can't believe that we've been 'going out' for 2 weeks. The picture on the top of the page is of the lilies you bought me last week. I absolutely LOVE lilies…so thank you. I don't think I will __ever__ forget you or our first kiss. It was a perfect date…no matter what you think."_

I smiled as the memory of our '2nd date' played in my mind. It was hard to go on dates when Jen had to stay in the facility, so I asked to use the cafeteria area. The night we went we found out they had double-booked the cafeteria with a B-I-N-G-O evening. We played a few rounds before we went for a walk around the building. Jen had been a good sport about going outside with the cooler weather, but she didn't go out much so it had been a treat. It's amazing the things we all take for granted. I put the second letter away and grabbed one from day 58.

_"My Lex,_

_So I just found out that the cancer is not only in my kidney, but has spread into my liver. They aren't sure if the chemo will work, but they said we can continue to try it. If it doesn't a transplant will be my only other option. They are actually putting me on the donor list today because it will be the best option. I am scared that it won't work and we won't find a matching donor, but I don't want you to know because it will only hurt you more. I know this isn't easy for you, but you are helping me stay strong. I love you more than anything. I hope I've showed you that the past 2 months. _

_Love,_

_Your girl!"_

She really had known for almost 2 months about the liver transplant. I wish she had told me, but there was nothing I could do now. Getting mad would change nothing. I looked at my watch and realized I had to be getting home. I shuffled through the letters and found the last one she had written on my birthday.

_"Happy Birthday Alex!_

_I can't believe it's been 3 months already! Time sure flies when you are head over heels in love with someone…that someone is you if you hadn't figured it out yet. I wish I would have gotten your birthday present done quicker, but I know you'll love it! I can't remember the last time I felt this happy. I have so much to write, but you are supposed to be here in a few minutes. I hope your birthday is amazing and that we have some more birthdays together. _

_Love you today, tomorrow, and always!"_

The tears slid down my cheeks as I put all the letters back in the shoebox. I grabbed everything that I found and walked to my car. I didn't even bother turning the radio on. I needed the quietness to gather my thoughts.

When I got home I went straight to the kitchen table and opened the shoebox again. This time I would read every letter. By the time I finished all 70 letters it was 2 hours later. Each letter was different, but they all had Jen in them and I could see how much she loved me.

"Whatcha doing?" I turned at the sound and smiled when I saw her standing in front of me with a Motor city Machine Gun t-shirt and a pair of shorts on. She was more beautiful than the day we met.

"Did you sleep okay?"

"Alex, you ignored my question."

"And now you're ignoring mine." She smiled as she rolled her eyes at me. I could watch her roll her eyes every day.

"I slept fine. I can't believe I slept for 4 hours."

"You had a big day yesterday Jen."

"I know and I'm really glad that you threw me a party. I didn't think I'd ever see my 28th birthday." She smiled as she sat down on my lap. It had been a month since the liver transplant had been a success. In fact the liver had come only 2 days after she had been admitted to the hospital. She was starting to look a lot healthier, but they were always going to have concerns. "So are you going to answer my question any time soon?"

"I found this under the bed when I went to look for your charcoals." I said pointing at the shoebox that was sitting open on the table.

"Did you read them?"

"Every one of them, except for the ones addressed to Chris and Jamie." She nodded, but didn't say anything. "Why didn't you tell me about them?"

"After everything that's happened in the last month I guess I just forgot about them."

"What if you had passed away? I never would have gotten them."

"That's not true. My dad's lawyer had a note that mentioned them if anything were to happen. So about this wedding?" She asked changing the subject and showing me the engagement ring I had given her.

"It can be anything you want."

"I only want you, but I was thinking of a March wedding."

"Sounds perfect. I love you Jennifer Lewis."

"I love you too Alex Shelley." After we pulled apart I knew that our journey of love was just beginning. It would have its rocky moments, but the biggest mountain was behind us. We both knew that we could face the mountain again, but we knew we could get through anything. From hating her to loving her in one night was all I needed to reassure myself about how special she was and I will never forget it.


End file.
